LONDON — Prince Harry is in court Tuesday appealing the British government’s decision to axe his publicly-funded security detail.
Harry’s protection was downgraded in February 2020 when he stepped down as a full-time member of the royal family and moved to the United States with his wife, Meghan. This meant the British state provided security on a case-by-case basis.
The Duke of Sussex is challenging this decision in a case that is set to span Tuesday and Wednesday, arguing that the body responsible for protecting royals was not following its own rules. He said he and his family were under particular threat because of the abuse his wife receives from some sections of the public and the media, which Harry says are racially motivated.
“Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life,” an unnamed legal representative said in a previous statement. “He remains sixth in line to the throne, served two tours of combat duty in Afghanistan, and in recent years his family has been subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats.”
Harry is currently the fifth in line to the throne.
His challenge was rejected in February last year by Britain’s High Court, which said the decision to change his security status was neither irrational nor procedurally unfair. Harry initially lost the right to appeal last April, before overturning that in the summer.
In a separate ruling, he also had his offer to personally bankroll protection by Britain’s Metropolitan Police rejected. The British government said its police forces are not available for private hire.
This week, Harry's case will be heard by three judges, Lord Justice Bean, Lord Justice Edis and Sir Geoffrey Vos. Defending him are Shaheed Fatima KC and Jason Pobjoy KC.
It is one of six legal cases in which Harry has been embroiled.
The publisher of British tabloid The Sun agreed to pay “substantial damages” to Harry in January after settling a long-running legal battle. News Group Newspapers (NGN) admitted that between 1996 and 2011, its staff used unlawful methods to dig up private information about the duke and his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry is also among a group of celebrities suing another publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), which prints the Daily Mail, accusing it of lawbreaking in its attempts to gather information on them. The trial is due to start next year.
In 2023, he dropped a libel case against ANL for its coverage of his legal battle over personal security. And the same year, he was awarded 140,600 pounds ($179,350) after successfully bringing a phone-hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers.
Alongside these courtroom battles, Harry has endured a turbulent relationship with his own family since leaving the United Kingdom, including with his father, King Charles III.
The prince arrived in the U.K. on Sunday hours before Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, traveled to Italy, fueling speculation in the British press that the pair might have a rare meeting.
